BRITISH health workers “don’t bother” to understand Irish patients with long-term illnesses, the Dáil has heard.
That’s according to the Irish in Britain organisation, which met with an Oireachtas committee to highlight the issue.
The organisation’s chair, Dr Mary Tilki, and CEO, Jennie McShannon, made the presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children last week.
The main topic up for discussion was health concerns facing Irish migrants to Britain and the US.
Dr Tilki said Irish people suffer from a lack of cultural understanding afforded to other minorities.
“There is increasing recognition that people from the Caribbean, India and Pakistan have cultural needs but the Irish tend to be forgotten,” she said.
Dr Tilki also spoke of the “invisibility” of Irish people in statistical analysis, as the “white” category tends to ignore specific health needs of the Irish community in Britain.
Research has found that Irish people have the highest level of long-term illness and self-reported poor health in England; while Irish Travellers are second highest for long-term sickness.
Meanwhile, Ms McShannon warned the committee that the provision of funding for Irish-focused organisations was overly dependent on the Emigrant Support Programme, making it fragile.
Speaking on behalf of the Irish in the US was Brian O’Dwyer, an attorney based in New York.
Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan TD, welcomed the contributions and spoke of the need to form intergenerational connections among the Irish community overseas.
